Political leader of the United Workers Party (UWP) Dr. Thomson Fontaine believes that the National Employment Programme (NEP) needs to be improved.
He made the statement during a press conference held at Garraway Hotel on Thursday.
According to him, in its current form, the programme is not serving the country well.
In recent times several NEP workers have been raising concerns over the issue of late payments. Finance Minister, Dr. Irving McIntyre who recently admitted that sometimes the salaries are delayed, assured these employees that the government has no plans of ending the programme.
“We are not about scrapping a program for ‘scrapping it’ sake,” Dr. Fontaine said. “We believe that the National Employment Programme can be improved. We believe that in its current form, it is not serving the country well and as such it has to be reformed.”
Dr. Fontaine made it clear to the NEP workers if the UWP is elected into office following the next general elections that their jobs will not be taken away.
“We have to find a way to reform it, to make it better, to make it more sustainable, but at the end of the day any programme that is aimed at helping people, helping the public in the situation that they are in, we will have to look at reform to make it better,” he stated.
The NEP was introduced in 2013. Through the program, unemployed people are placed in the public and private sectors. The government then pays the salaries of those employed.
This is the problem with Dr. Fontaine’s leadership of lack thereof. On egregious national issues he talks, and talks, and talks some more.
Agitate for the people’s right by getting the masses fired up and shut down the country. The issues of lack of garbage collection; hike in water rates; none payment of public workers; $64K monthly rental; missing CBI billions; persecution of law abiding opposition members; starvation wages and salaries, should spark protest.
Dr. Thomson is a ‘Walkie-Talkie’ captain. Action is better than words!
That’s all you guys do and not try to put things in place to get rid of that cancer called DLP. I’m not hearing about no new candidates and nothing to revamp the UWP but you guys want to win a General Election. Is either you guys bring back Mr Edison James or The young man from Penville. You guys have no vision
By now the UWP should have had a shadow cabinet firmly in place. All the present leader does is armchair pontification.
Again, get your candidates for all the constituencies. The ear!her the better. Each should traverse his or her constituency familiarizing himself/herself with the people and lending an ear to their concerns and aspirations.
Seize the initiative by convincing the electors and the new potential voters that your plan for your constituency and the country will bring much needed relief to all.
This non-physical contact/ radio campaign by Dr. Thomson will not grow the support for the UWP. Go out and touch the people’s flesh with a handshake. People like to know that they are valued. Step up your game man!
Garçan allyou fellers coming on the same boat like them albinos from Europe to take advantage of people!!!
If all you want to keep that program in place why allyou doh fight for giving them people a fair prevailing wage and benefits like Pension!!!
All those people should revolt to form a collective bargaining Unit!!!
Allyou have bigtime teachers and white collar class employees in that stupid program for over 8 years and them people don’t know what they gonna do when they retire???